On February 10, 2009, a senior official in charge of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was instructed to make solemn representations to the diplomatic officials of the Japanese embassy in China over the stationing of PLH (patrol vessel large with helicopter) in the waters around the Diaoyu Islands.

The official said, according to Japanese media reports, Japan Coast Guard has dispatched a patrol vessel which can carry helicopters to be permanently stationed in the waters around the Diaoyu Islands since February 1 to strengthen the "garrison system" of the Islands. If the reports are true, this is a serious violation of China's territorial sovereignty, and China expresses its intense concern.

The official stressed that the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands have long been the inherent territory of China and China enjoys indisputable sovereignty over these islands. If the Japanese side takes escalating actions on the Diaoyu Islands, the Chinese side will have to react strongly, of which the Japanese side should have a clear understanding.